The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-10-01

ever recorded in the Alps. He had fallen down a erevasse in the great glacier of the Mer de Glace. He was alone at the time, but they found his broken alpenstock at the lip of the crevasse and down in the depths they heard the footing of his horn. It took three hundred feet of rope to bring him up, and ever since then he was guide much sought for by those who had any choice ill the selection of guides, and, besides this, the recital of this thrilling story had filled his purse on many occasions.
 So Hertzoff took the doctor and myself across the glacier that day. We lett the beaten path somewhat 80 that we might see the spot where he fell in and hear the story just where it happened. The crevasse was wide one but it had been narrower at the time the guide slipped over, What made matters worse was that at the time the guide was alone. He had taken party across the glacier and was returning by short cut to Mon- tanvert. He and his brother were to take party up the glacier in the af- ternoon and his brother, who was wait ing for him at Montanvert, became alarmed at his absence. With another guide he started to meet him, and knowing the short cut that the guides generally took when alone, they fol- lowed it. Coming to q valley in the ice at the bottom of which was the narrow crevasse, they saw on the other side a broken alpenstock stuck fast in an ice crevasse that told the whole story. Hertzoff had come down the incline as usual with his a.penstock to keep the descent frem being too swift The alpenstock caught in the crevasse and snapped of. Hertzoff fell and slid helplessly over the lip of the crevassc. He went down feet first. He tried to stop himself by bracing his feet against the opposite side of the crev- asse, but he slid down the blue, clear ice with appalling swiftness. About one hundred feet down the crevasse turned, and from thence to the bottom he slid down on his back, and in an instant found himself in two feet of ice water that rushed to help form the River Arve that flows through Cham onix.
 When his brother and the other guide saw how matters stood and heard the faint toot of the Alpine horn in the ice depths, the brother shouted down to encourage him to hold out, while the other ran back to the big hotel for ropes and help. All the visitors and many of the guides came back with him and in a short time they had the half frozen man up on the surface again. It was a fear fully narrow escape. Hertzotf tied ropes around us and held on while we went down and looked over the edge of the crevasse The sides were a clear luminous blue. darkening as they went down. We could hear the rush of the water below. The doctor dropped stone into the chasm and that, more than anything else, made us realize its depth. The stone dropped to the turn in the crevassc and then we heard it ringing against the sides as it went down and down, seemingly to the centre of the earth.
 As we returned the doctor and I walked together behind the guide, who was some distance ahead We were both very much impressed by the story told on the very spot where it had happened.
 "That ought to be q great lesson for you," began the doctor.
 "Why for mel"
 "Well, in the telling of story. Now, if you were writing that advent ure the chances are that you would spoil it by piling up the agony. He told it in his simple, direct way, that to my mind was infinitely more thrill ing than all the fine writing in the world. What impressed me about his narrative was the simplicity of dic- tion and the evident truthfulness, and, besides that, there was an absence of brag that strikes me as being admira- ble."
 "Still you must admit that the guide is man of rather coarse feel ings; probably the only sensation he felt was an animal desire for safety | He did not describe his feelings, be- cause he had none. Take more re- fined and educated person in the same situation, and his sensations during that slow slide to the edge of the crevasse would be something pain fully intense--s something that this man could neither appreciate nor un- derstand."
 T don't admit that at all. This mans modesty prevents him from telling us just what he felt. Human nature is human nature all the world over. Now to prove this, when we return will try and get this man into mesmeric trance. 1 think he would be good subject, and if l suc- ceed, then we will have his story with : eli l. .z Il <~fN N.I